UC-NRLF 


"V-\ 


ANDREAttA. 

w 


\ 

CONTAINING    THE 


Trial,  Execution  and  Various  Matter 


CONNECTED    WITH     THE     HISTORY     OF 


Major  JOHN   ANDRE, 


ADJUTANT    GENERAL    OF    THE     BRITISH     ARMY    IN     AMFRICA, 


A.  D.   1780.: 


PHILADELPHIA-. 

PUBLISHED    BY    HORACE   W.    SMITH 

MDCCCLXV. 


CASE 
8 


I'RINTFD   KT  KING  &'  KJ1RD, 
RANSOM  STREET,  PHILjIDELPHI 

«     *  •   •    •  •>  •« 


»«     «    «    "e 


INTRODUCTION. 


HE  official  account  of  the  Trial 
of  Major  John  Andre  has 
been,  I  believe,  printed  but 
three  times:  first  at  Philadel- 
phia, by  Francis  Bailey,  in  1780;  again 
in  New  York,  attached  to  William  Dun- 
lap's  Tragedy  entitled  Andre,  which  was 
performed  by  the  Old  American  Company 
in  that  city,  March  30,  1789;  it  has  also 
been  embodied  in  the  History  of  West 
Point  as  a  fac  simile  of  the  Bailey  edition. 
In  republishing  it  at  this  late  day  I 
have  been  much  assisted  by  the  artists 
who  were  engaged   upon    the    illustrations, 


975113 


INTRODUCTION. 

of  which  six  have  been  engraved  expressly 
for  this  work;  also  by  William  A.  White- 
man,  Esq.,  who  has  kindly  furnished  the 
only  known  copy  of  Peale's  Engraving  of 
Washington,  from  which  Sartain  has  made 
his  picture.  I  am  also  indebted  to  Mr. 
George  P.  Putnam,  of  New  York,  for  the 
use  of  the  plates  of  Arnold,  Andre,  and 
Paulding;  to  Mr.  Elias  Dexter,  for  that 
of  Andre  and  Miss  Sneyd;  to  Mr.  H. 
Quig,  of  Philadelphia,  for  that  of  Miss 
Anna  Seward;  to  W.  W.  Long,  for  the 
print  of  Arnold  in  effigy;  and  last,  al- 
though not  least,  to  Messrs.  King  &  Baird, 
for  the  care  bestowed  upon  the   printing. 

HORACE    W.    SMITH. 

Philadelphia,  June   15,  1865. 


PROCEEDINGS 

OF        A 

BOARD 

O    F 

GENERAL    OFFICERS, 

Held  By  Order  or 

His    Excellency  Gen.    Washington, 

Commander  in  Chief  of  the  Army  of  the   United  States 
of    America. 

RESPECTING 

Major      JOHN      ANDRE, 

Adjutant   General  of  the   British   Army, 

September    29,    [780. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

Printed    by    FRANCIS    BAILEY,    irt    Market  Street. 

M.DCC.LXXX. 


EXTRACTS     OF     LETTERS. 

from  General  Washington  to  Vhr 
President  ^Congress. 


Robinson's   House,  In  the  Highlands, 

September  26,  1 7  80. 


SIR, 


HAVE  the  honor  to  inform 
Congress  that  I  arrived  here  yes- 
terday about  twelve  o'clock,  on 
rny  return  from  Hartford.  Some 
hours  previous  to  my  arrival,  Major-General 
Arnold  went  from  his  quarters,  which  were  this 
place,  and,  as  it  was  supposed,  over  the  river 
to  the  garrison  at  West  Point,  whither  I 
proceeded  myself,  in  order  to  visit  the  post. 
I   found  General  Arnold   had   not  been   there 


4  ANDRE. 

during  the  day;  and,  on  my  return  to  his 
quarters,  he  was  still  absent.  In  the  mean- 
time, a  packet  had  arrived  from  Lieut:  Colonel 
Jameson,  announcing  the  capture  of  a  John 
Anderson,  who  was  endeavouring  to  go  to 
New-York,  with  several  interesting  and  impor- 
tant papers,  all  in  the  hand-writing  of  General 
Arnold.  This  was  also  accompanied  with  a 
I  letter  from  the  prisoner,  avowing  himself  to 
be  Major  John  Andre,  Adjutant-General  to  the 
British  army,  relating  the  manner  of  his  cap- 
ture, and  endeavouring  to  show  that  he  did 
not  come  under  the  description  of  a  spy. 
From  these  several  circumstances,  and  infor- 
mation that  the  General  seemed  to  be  thrown 
into  some  degree  of  agitation,  on  receiving  a 
letter  a  little  time  before  he  went  from  his 
quarters,  I  was  led  to  conclude  immediately 
that  he  had  heard  of  Major  Andre's  captivity, 
and  that  he  would,  if  possible,  escape  to  the 
enemy;  and  accordingly  took  such  measures 
as  appeared  the  most  probable  to  apprehend 
him.  But  he  had  embarked  in  a  barge,  and 
proceeded  down  the  river,  under  a  flag,  to  the 
Vulture  ship  of  war,  which  lay  at  some  miles 
below  Stony  and  Verplank's  Points.      He  wrote 


PROCEEDINGS.  5 

me  a  letter  after  he  got  on  board.  Major 
Andre  is  not  yet  arrived,  but  I  hope  he  is 
secure,  and  that  he  will  be  here  to-day.  I 
have  been,  and  am  taking  precautions,  which 
I  trust  will  prove  effectual,  to  prevent  the 
important  consequences  which  this  conduct,  on 
the  part  of  General  Arnold,  was  intended  to 
produce.  I  do  not  know  the  party  that  took 
Major  Andre,  but  it  is  said  that  it  consisted 
only  of  a  few  militia,  who  acted  in  such  a 
manner  upon  the  occasion,  as  does  them  the 
highest  honor,  and  proves  them  to  be  men  of 
great  virtue.  As  soon  as  I  know  their  names, 
I  shall  take  pleasure  in  transmitting  them  to 
Congress. 


Paramus,  October  7,  1780. 

SIR, 

I  HAVE  the  honor  to  enclose  Congress 
a  copy  of  the  proceedings  of  a  Board  of 
General  Officers  in  the  case  of  Major 
Andre,  Adjutant-General  to  the  British  army. 
This    officer    was     executed,    in     pursuance    of 


6  ANDRE. 

the  opinion  of  the  Board,  on  Monday  the 
2d  instant,  at  twelve  o'clock,  at  our  late 
camp,  at  Tappan.  Besides  the  proceedings,  I 
transmit  copies  of  sundry  letters  respecting 
the  matter,  which  are  all  that  passed  on  the 
subject,  not  included  in  the  proceedings. 

I  have  now  the  pleasure  to  communicate 
the  names  of  the  three  persons  who  captured 
Major  Andre,  and  who  refused  to  release  him, 
notwithstanding  the  most  earnest  importunities 
and  assurances  of  a  liberal  reward  on  his  part. 
Their  names  are,  John  Paulding^  David  Wil- 
liams,  and  Isaac  Van  Wert. 


PROCEEDINGS 


OF   A 


Board  of  General  Officers, 

Held  by  order  of  his  Excellency  General  Wash- 
ington, Commander  in  Chief  of  the  Army  of 
the  United  States  of  America,  respecting  Major 
Andre,  Adjutant-General  of  the  British  Army, 
September  the  2yth,  1780,  at  Tappan,  in  the 
State  of  New-Tork. 

PRESENT: 

Major-General  Green,   President. 
Major-General   Lord   Sterling, 
Major-General   St.   Clair, 
Major-General  the  Marquis  la  Fayette, 
Major-General  Howe, 
Major-General  the  Baron  de  Steuben, 
Brigadier-General  Parsons, 
Brigadier-General  Clinton, 
,  Brigadier-General  Knox, 
Brigadier-General  Glover, 
Brigadier-General   Patterson, 
Brigadier-General   Hand, 
Brigadier-General   H untington, 
Brigadier-General   Starke, 
John  Lawrence,  Judge- Advocate-General. 


ANDRE 


MAJOR  ANDRE,  Adjutant-General  to 
the  British  army,  was  brought  before  the 
Board,  and  the  following  letter  from  General 
Washington  to  the  Board,  dated  Headquar- 
ters, Tappan,  September  29,  1780,  was  laid 
before  them,  and  read. 


Gentlemen  : 

Major  Andre,  Adjutant-General  to  the 
British  army,  will  be  brought  before  you  for 
your  examination.  He  came  within  our  lines 
in  the  night,  on  an  interview  with  Major- 
General  Arnold,  and  in  an  assumed  character, 
and  was  taken  within  our  lines  in  a  disguised 
habit,  with  a  pass  under  a  feigned  name,  and 
with  the  enclosed  papers  concealed  upon  him. 
After  a  careful  examination,  you  will  be  pleased, 
as  speedily  as  possible,  to  report  a  precise  state 
of  his  case,  together  with  your  opinion  of  the 
light  in  which  he  ought  to  be  considered,  and 
the  punishment  that  ought  to  be  inflicted. 
The  Judge- Advocate  will   attend   to   assist   in 


PROCEEDINGS.  9 

the  examination,  who  has  sundry  other  papers, 
relative  to  this  matter,  which  he  will  lay  before 
the  Board. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  gentlemen, 

Your  most  obedient  and  humble  servant, 

G.  WASHINGTON. 

To  the  Board  of  General  Officers  convened  at  Tappan. 


The  names  of  the  officers  composing  the 
Board  were  read  to  Major  Andre,  and  on  his 
being  asked  whether  he  confessed  the  matters 
contained  in  the  letter  from  his  Excellency 
General  Washington  to  the  Board,  or  denied 
them,  he  said,  "in  addition  to  his  letter  to 
General  Washington,  dated  Salem,  the  24th 
September,  1780,"  which  was  read  to  the 
Board,  and  acknowledged  by  Major  Andre  to 
have  been  written  by  him,  which  letter  is  as 
follows : 

Salem,  September  24,  1780. 

SIR, 

WHAT   I    have   as    yet   said    concerning 
myself,   was    in    the  justifiable   attempt   to    be 


io  ANDRE. 

extricated ;  I  am  too  little  accustomed  to 
duplicity  to  have  succeeded. 

I  beg  your  Excellency  will  be  persuaded 
that  no  alteration  in  the  temper  of  my  mind, 
or  apprehension  for  my  safety,  induces  me  to 
take  the  step  of  addressing  you,  but  that  it  is 
to  secure  myself  from  an  imputation  of  having 
assumed  a  mean  character,  for  treacherous  pur- 
poses or  self-interest — a  conduct  incompatible 
with  the  principles  that  actuated  me,  as  well 
as  with  my  condition  in  life. 

It  is  to  vindicate  my  fame  that  I  speak, 
and  not  to  solicit  security. 

The  person  in  your  possession  is  Major 
John  Andre,  Adjutant-General  to  the  British 
army. 

The  influence  of  one  commander  in  the 
army  of  his  adversary,  is  an  advantage  taken 
in  war.  A  correspondence  for  this  purpose  I 
held ;  as  confidential  (in  the  present  instance) 
with  his  Excellency  Sir  Henry  Clinton. 

To  favor  it,  I  agreed  to  meet  upon  ground 
not  within  posts  of  either  army,  a  person  who 
was  to  give  me  intelligence :  I  came  up  in 
the  Vulture   man   of  war,   for   this   effect,  and 


PROCEEDINGS.  n 

was  fetched,  by  a  boat  from  the  shore,  to  the 
beach :  Being  there,  I  was  told  that  the  ap- 
proach of  day  would  prevent  my  return,  and 
that  I  must  be  concealed  until  the  next  night. 
I  was  in  my  regimentals,  and  had  fairly  risked 
my  person. 

Against  my  stipulation,  my  intention,  and 
without  my  knowledge  before  hand,  I  was 
conducted  within  one  of  your  posts.  Your 
Excellency  may  conceive  my  sensation  on  this 
occasion,  and  will  imagine  how  much  more  I 
must  have  been  affected,  by  a  refusal  to  re- 
conduct me  back  the  next  night,  as  I  had  been 
brought.  Thus  become  a  prisoner,  I  had  to 
concert  my  escape.  /  quitted  my  uniform,  was 
passed  another  way  in  the  night  without  the 
American  posts  to  neutral  ground,  and  in- 
formed I  was  beyond  all  armed  parties,  and 
left  to  press  for  New  Yotk.  I  was  taken  at 
Tarry-Town  by  some  volunteers. 

Thus,  as  I  have  had  the  honor  to  relate, 
was  I  betrayed  (being  Adjutant-General  of  the 
British  army)  into  the  vile  condition  of  an 
enemy  in  disguise  within  your  posts. 

Having  avowed  myself  a  British    officer,    I 


12  ANDRE. 

have  nothing  to  reveal  but  what  relates  to  my- 
self, which  is  true  on  the  honor  of  an  officer 
and  a  gentleman. 

The  request  I  have  to  make  your  Excel- 
lency, and  1  am  conscious  I  address  myself 
well,  is,  that  in  any  rigor  policy  may  dictate, 
a  decency  of  conduct  towards  me  may  mark, 
that  though  unfortunate,  I  am  branded  with 
nothing  dishonorable,  as  no  motive  could  be 
mine  but  the  service  of  my  King,  and  as  I 
was  involuntarily  an  impostor. 

Another  request  is,  that  I  may  be  permitted 
to  write  an  open  letter  to  Sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton, and  another  to  a  friend  for  clothes  and 
linen. 

I  take  the  liberty  to  mention  the  condition 
of  some  gentlemen  at  Charleston,  who  being 
either  on  parole  or  under  protection,  were  en- 
gaged in  a  conspiracy  against  us.  Tho'  their 
situation  is  not  similar,  they  are  objects  who 
may  be  set  in  exchange  for  me,  or  are  per- 
sons whom  the  treatment  I  receive  might 
affect. 

It  is  no  less,  Sir,  in  a  confidence  in  the 
generosity  of  your  mind,  than   on  account   of 


PROCEEDINGS.  13 

your  superior   station,   that  I   have  chosen  to 
importune  you  with  this  letter. 
•  I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

With  great  respect,  Sir, 

Your  Excellency's  most  obedient, 
and  most  humble  servant, 
JOHN  ANDRE, 
Adj  utant-General. 
His  Excellency  General  Washington, 
&c.  &c.  &c. 


That  he  came  on  shore  from  the  Vulture 
sloop  of  war,  in  the  night  of  the  twenty-first 
of  September  instant,  somewhere  under  the 
Haverstraw  Mountain :  That  the  boat  he 
came  on  shore  in  carried  no  flag ;  and  that 
he  had  on  a  surtout  coat  over  his  regimen- 
tals, and  that  he  wore  his  surtout  coat  when 
he  was  taken  :  That  he  met  General  Arnold 
on  the  shore,  and  had  an  interview  with  him 
there.  He  also  said,  that  when  he  left  the 
Vulture  sloop  of  war,  it  was  understood  that 
he  was  to  return  that  night ;  but  it  was  then 
doubted,  and  if  he  could  not  return,  he  was 
promised  to  be  concealed  on  shore  in  a  place 


i4  ANDRE. 

of  safety,  until  the  next  night,  when  he  was  to 
return  in  the  same  manner  he  came  on  shore; 
and  when  the  next  day  came,  he  was  solicitous 
to  get  back,  and  made  inquiries  in  the  course 
of  the  day  how  he  should  return,  when  he  was 
informed  he  could  not  return  that  way,  and  he 
must  take  the  route  he  did  afterwards.  He 
also  said,  that  the  first  notice  he  had  of  his 
being  within  any  of  our  posts,  was,  being  chal- 
lenged by  the  sentry,  which  was  the  first  night 
he  was  on  shore.  He  also  said,  that  the  even- 
ing of  the  twenty-second  September  instant, 
he  passed  King's-Ferry,  between  our  posts  of 
Stony  and  Verplanck's  Points,  in  the  dress  he 
is  at  present  in,  and  which  he  said  was  not  his 
regimentals,  and  which  dress  he  procured,  after 
he  landed  from  the  Vulture,  and  when  he  was 
within  our  post;  and  that  he  was  proceeding 
to  New-York,  but  was  taken  on  his  way  at 
Tarry  -  Town,  as  he  has  mentioned  in  his 
letter,  on  Saturday  the  twenty-third  of  Sep- 
tember instant,  about  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning. 

The  following  papers  were  laid  before  the 
Board  and  shewn  to  Major  Andre,  who  con- 
fessed  to  the  Board,  that  they  were  found  on 


PROCEEDINGS.  15 

him  when  he  was  taken,  and  said  they  were 
concealed  in  his  boot,  except  the  pass  : 

A  pass  from  General  Arnold  to  John  An- 
derson, which  name  Major  Andre  acknow- 
ledged he  assumed. 

Artillery  orders,  September  5,  1780. 

Estimate  of  the  forces  at  West-Point  and 
its  dependencies,  September,   1780. 

Estimate  of  men  to  man  the  works  at  West- 
Point,  &c. 

Return  of  ordnance  at  West-Point,  Septem- 
ber, 1780. 

Remarks  on  works  at  West-Point. 

Copy  of  a  state  of  matters  laid  before  a 
council  of  war,  by  his  Excellency  General 
Washington,  held  the  6th  of  September,  1780. 

A  letter  signed  John  Anderson,  dated  Sep- 
tember 7,  1780,  to  Colonel  Sheldon,*  was  also 

*  Lest  it  should  be  supposed  that  Col.  Sheldon,  to  whom  the 
above  letter  is  addressed,  was  privy  to  the  plot  carrying  on 
by  General  Arnold,  it  is  to  be  observed,  that  the  letter  was 
found  among  Arnold's  papers,  and  had  been  transmitted  by 
Colonel  Sheldon,  who,  it  appears  from  a  letter  of  the  9th  of 
September,  to  Arnold,  which  enclosed  it,  had  never  heard  of 
John  Anderson  before.  Arnold,  in  his  answer  on  the  10th, 
acknowledged  that  he  had  not  communicated  it  to  him,  though 
he  had  informed  him  that  he  expected  a  person  would  come  from 
New-York,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  him  intelligence. 


16  ANDRE. 

laid  before  the  Board,  and  shewn  to  Major 
Andre,  which  he  acknowledged  to  have  been  writ- 
ten by  him,  and  is  as  follows  : 


New- York,  the  jth,  Sept.,   1780. 

SIR, 

I  AM  told  my  name  is  made  known  to 
you,  and  that  I  may  hope  your  indulgence  in 
permitting  me  to  meet  a  friend  near  your 
out-post.  I  will  endeavour  to  obtain  permis- 
sion to  go  out  with  a  flag,  which  will  be  sent 
to  Dobb's-Ferry  on  Monday  next,  the  nth, 
at   twelve   o'clock,  when  I   shall   be   happy  to 

meet  Mr.  G .*     Should  I   not  be  allowed 

to  go,  the  officer  who  is  to  command  the 
escort,  between  whom  and  myself  no  distinc- 
tion need  be  made,  can  speak  on  the  affair. 

Let  me  entreat  you,  Sir,  to  favor  a  matter 
so  interesting  to  the  parties  concerned,  and 
which  is  of  so  private  a  nature,  that  the  pub- 
lic on  neither  side  can  be  injured  by  it. 


*  It  appears  by  the  same  letter,  that  Arnold  had  written  to 
Mr.  Anderson  under  the  signature  of  Gustavus.  His  words  are, 
"  I  was  obliged  to  write  with  great  caution  to  him,  my  letter  was 
signed  Gustavus,  to  prevent  any  discovery,  in  case  it  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy." 


PROCEEDINGS.  17 

I  shall  be  happy  on  my  part  in  doing  any 
act  of  kindness  to  you  in  a  family  or  pro- 
perty concern  of  a  similar  nature. 

I  trust  I  shall  not  be  detained,  but  should 
any  old  grudge  be  a  cause  for  it,  I  shall 
rather  risk  that,  than  neglect  the  business  in 
question,  or  assume  a  mysterious  character  to 
carry  on  an  innocent  affair,  and,  as  friends 
have  advised,  get  to  your  lines  by  stealth.  I 
am,  Sir,  with  all  regard, 

Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

JOHN  ANDERSON. 

Col.  Sheldon. 


Major  Andre  observed  that  this  letter  could 
be  of  no  force  in  the  case  in  question,  as  it 
was  written  in  New-York,  when  he  was  under 
the  orders  of  General  Clinton ;  but  that  it 
tended  to  prove  that  it  was  not  his  intention 
to  come  within  our  lines. 

The  Board  having  interrogated  Major  An- 
dre about  his  conception  of  his  coming  on 
shore  under  the  sanction  of  a  flag,  he  said 
that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  suppose  he  came 

on  shore  under  that  sanction;  and  added,  that  if 

3 


18  ANDRE. 

he  came  on  shore  under  that  sanction,  he 
certainly  might  have  returned  under  it. 

Major  Andre  having  acknowledged  the  pre- 
ceding facts,  and  being  asked  whether  he  had 
any  thing  to  say  respecting  them,  answered, 
he  left  them  to  operate  with  the  Board. 

The  examination  of  Major  Andre  being 
concluded,  he  was  remanded  into  custody. 

The   following   letters   were   laid   before   the 

Board,  and  read  : Benedict  Arnold's  letter 

to  General  Washington,  dated  September  25, 
1780;  Colonel  Robinson's  letter  to  General 
Washington,  dated  September  25,  1780;  and 
General  Clinton's  letter,  dated  26th  Septem- 
ber, 1780,  (inclosing  a  letter  of  the  same  date 
from  Benedict  Arnold,)  to  General  Wash- 
ington. 

On  board  the  Vulture,  Sept.  25,  1780. 
SIR, 

THE  heart  which  is  conscious  of  its  own 
rectitude,  cannot  attempt  to  palliate  a  step 
which  the  world  may  censure  as  wrong ;  I 
have  ever  acted  from  a  principle  of  love  to 
my  country,  since  the  commencement  of 
the    present    unhappy    contest    between    Great 


PROCEEDINGS.  19 

Britain  and  the  Colonies ;  the  same  principle 
of  love  to  my  country  actuates  my  present 
conduct,  however  it  may  appear  inconsistent 
to  the  world,  who  very  seldom  judge  right  of 
any  man's  actions. 

I  have  no  favor  to  ask  for  myself,  I  have 
too  often  experienced  the  ingratitude  of  my 
country  to  attempt  it;  but  from  the  known 
humanity  of  your  Excellency,  I  am  induced 
to  ask  your  protection  for  Mrs.  Arnold,  from 
every  insult  and  injury  that  the  mistaken 
vengeance  of  my  country  may  expose  her  to. 
It  ought  to  fall  only  on  me;  she  is  as  good 
and  as  innocent  as  an  angel,  and  is  incapable 
of  doing  wrong.  I  beg  she  may  be  permitted 
to  return  to  her  friends  in  Philadelphia,  or  to 
come  to  me,  as  she  may  choose :  from  your 
Excellency  I  have  no  fears  on  her  account, 
but  she  may  suffer  from  the  mistaken  fury 
of  the  country. 

I  have  to  request  that  the  enclosed  letter 
may  be  delivered  to  Mrs.  Arnold,  and  she 
permitted  to  write  to  me. 

I  have  also  to  ask  that  my  clothes  and 
baggage,  which  are  of  little  consequence,  may 


\ 


20  ANDRE. 

be  sent  to  me ;    if  required,   their  value  shall 
be  paid  for  in  money. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  great  regard 
and  esteem, 

Your  Excellency's  most 

obedient  humble  servant, 

B.  ARNOLD. 

His  Excellency  General  Washington. 

N.  B.  In  justice  to  the  gentlemen  of  my 
family,  Colonel  Varick  and  Major  Franks,  I 
think  myself  in  honor  bound  to  declare,  that 
they,  as  well  as  Joshua  Smith,  Esq.,  (who  I 
know  is  suspected,)  are  totally  ignorant  of 
any  transactions  of  mine,  that  they  had  rea- 
son to  believe  were  injurious  to  the  public. 


Vulture  off  Sinksink,  Sept.  25,  178c. 
SIR, 

I  AM  this  moment  informed  that  Major 
Andre,  Adjutant-General  of  his  Majesty's 
army  in  America,  is  detained  as  a  prisoner 
by  the  army  under  your  command ;  it  is, 
therefore,    incumbent    on    me    to    inform   you 


PROCEEDINGS.  21 

of  the  manner  of  his  falling  into  your  hands. 
He  went  up  with  a  flag  at  the  request  of 
General  Arnold,  on  public  business  with  him, 
and  had  his  permit  to  return  by  land  to 
New-York.  Under  these  circumstances  Ma- 
jor Andre  cannot  be  detained  by  you,  without 
the  greatest  violation  of  flags,  and  contrary 
to  the  custom  and  usage  of  all  nations,  and, 
as  I  imagine  you  will  see  this  matter  in  the 
same  point  of  view  as  I  do,  I  must  desire 
that  you  will  order  him  to  be  set  at  liberty, 
and  allowed  to  return  immediately.  Every 
step  Major  Andre  took  was  by  the  advice 
and  direction  of  General  Arnold,  even  that 
of  taking  a  feigned  name,  and  of  course  not 
liable  to  censure  for  it. 
I  am,  Sir, 

not  forgetting  former  acquaintance, 
Your  very  humble  servant, 
BEV.  ROBINSON, 

Col.  Loyal  Americans. 

His  Excellency  General  Washington. 


22  ANDRE 


New-York,  Sept.  26,  1780. 
SIR, 

BEING  informed  that  the  Kings  Adju- 
tant-General in  America  has  been  stopt  under 
Major-General  Arnold's  passports,  and  is  de- 
tained a  prisoner  in  your  Excellency's  army, 
I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you,  Sir,  that 
I  permitted  Major  Andre  to  go  to  Major- 
General  Arnold,  at  the  particular  request  of 
that  general  officer.  You  will  perceive,  Sir, 
by  the  inclosed  paper,  that  a  flag  of  truce 
was  sent  to  receive  Major  Andre,  and  pass- 
ports granted  for  his  return :  I  therefore 
can  have  no  doubt  but  your  Excellency  will 
immediately  direct,  that  this  officer  has  per- 
mission to  return  to  my  orders  at  New-York. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Your  Excellency's  most  obedient 
and  most  humble  servant, 

H.  CLINTON. 

His  Excellency  General  Washington. 


PROCEEDINGS.  23 


New-York,  Sept.  26,  1780. 
SIR, 

IN  answer  to  your  Excellency's  message, 
respecting  your  Adjutant-General,  Major  An- 
dre, and  desiring  my  idea  of  the  reasons  why 
he  is  detained,  being  under  my  passports,  I 
have  the  honor  to  inform  you,  Sir,  that  I 
apprehend  a  few  hours  must  return  Major 
Andre  to  your  Excellency's  orders,  as  that 
officer  is  assuredly  under  the  protection  of  a 
flag  of  truce  sent  by  me  to  him,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  a  conversation  which  I  requested  to 
hold  with  him  relating  to  myself,  and  which 
I  wished  to  communicate  through  that  officer 
to  your  Excellency. 

I  commanded  at  the  time  at  West-Point, 
had  an  undoubted  right  to  send  my  flag  of 
truce  for  Major  Andre,  who  came  to  me  under 
that  protection,  and  having  held  my  conversa- 
tion with  him,  I  delivered  him  confidential 
papers  in  my  own  hand-writing,  to  deliver  to 
your  Excellency.  Thinking  it  much  properer 
he  should  return  by  land,  I  directed  him  to 
make  use  of  the   feigned    name  of  John   An- 


24  ANDRE. 

derson,  under  which  he  had  by  my  direction 
come  on  shore,  and  gave  him  my  passports 
to  go  to  the  White  Plains,  on  his  way  to 
New-York.  This  officer  cannot  therefore  fail 
of  being  immediately  sent  to  New-York,  as 
he  was  invited  to  a  conversation  with  me,  for 
"which  I  sent  him  a  flag  of  truce,  and  finally 
gave  him  passports  for  his  safe  return  to 
your  Excellency;  all  which  I  had  then  a  right 
to  do,  being  in  the  actual  service  of  America, 
under  the  orders  of  General  Washington,  and 
commanding  general  at  West-Point  and  its 
dependencies. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Your  Excellency's  most  obedient, 
and  most  humble  servant, 

B.  ARNOLD. 
His  Excellency  Sir  Henry  Clinton. 

The  Board  having  considered  the  letter 
from  his  Excellency  General  Washington  re- 
specting Major  Andre,  Adjutant-General  to 
the  British  Army,  the  confession  of  Major 
Andre,  and  the  papers  produced  to  them, 
REPORT  to  his  Excellency  the  Commander 


PROCEEDINGS.  25 

in  Chief  the  following  facts,  which  appear  to 
them  relative  to  Major  Andre. 

First,  That  he  came  on  shore  from  the 
Vulture  sloop  of  war  in  the  night  of  the 
twenty-first  of  September  instant,  on  an  in- 
terview with  General  Arnold,  in  a  private  and 
secret  manner. 

Secondly,  That  he  changed  his  dress  within 
our  lines,  and  under  a  feigned  name,  and  in 
a  disguised  habit,  passed  our  works  at  Stony 
and  Verplank's  Points,  the  evening  of  the 
twenty-second  of  September  instant,  and  was 
taken  the  morning  of  the  twenty-third  of 
September  instant,  at  Tarry-Town  in  a  dis- 
guised habit,  being  then  on  his  way  to  New- 
York  ;  and  when  taken,  he  had  in  his  posses- 
sion several  papers,  which  contained  intelli- 
gence for  the  enemy. 

The  Board  having  maturely  considered  these 
facts,  do  also  report  to  his  Excellency  Gen- 
eral Washington,  that  Major  Andre,  Adjutant- 
General  to  the  British  army,  ought  to  be  con- 
sidered  as   a    Spy   from   the   enemy,    and   that 


26 


ANDRE. 


agreeably  to   the  law  and  usage  of  nations,  it 
is  their  opinion,  he  ought  to  suffer  death. 

Nathaniel  Green,  Major-General,  President, 

Stirling,  Major-General, 

Ar.  St.  Clair,  Major-General, 

La  Fayette,  Major-General, 

R.  Howe,  Major-General, 

Steuben,  Major-General, 

Samuel  H.  Parsons,  Brigadier-General, 

James  Clinton,  Brigadier-General, 

H.  Knox,  Brigadier-General  of  Artillery, 

John  Glover,  Brigadier-General, 

John  Patterson,  Brigadier-General, 

Edward  Hand,  Brigadier-General, 

J.  Huntington,  Brigadier-General, 

John  Starke,  Brigadier-General, 

John  Lawrence,  Judge-Advocate-General. 


APPENDIX 


Copy  of  a  Letter  from  Major  Andre ',   Adjutant- 
General,  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  K.  B.y  &c9  &c. 


SIR, 


Tappan,  Sept.  29,  1780. 


OUR  Excellency  is  doubtless  already 

apprized  of  the  manner   in  which 

I  was   taken,   and   possibly  of  the 

serious  light  in  which  my  conduct 

is  considered,  and  the   rigorous  determination 

that  is  impending. 

Under  these  circumstances  I  have  obtained 
General  Washington's  permission  to  send  you 
this  letter;  the  object  of  which  is,  to  remove 
from  your  breast  any  suspicion,  that  I  could 
imagine  I  was  bound  by  your  Excellency's 
orders    to    expose    myself    to    what    has    hap- 


28  ANDRE. 

pened.  The  events  of  coming  within  an 
enemy's  posts,  and  of  changing  my  dress, 
which  led  me  to  my  present  situation,  were 
contrary  to  my  own  intentions,  as  they  were 
to  your  orders;  and  the  circuitous  route,  which 
I  took  to  return,  was  imposed  (perhaps  una- 
voidably) without  alternative  upon  me. 

I  am  perfectly  tranquil  in  mind,  and  pre- 
pared for  any  fate  to  which  an  honest  zeal 
for  my  King's   service  may  have  devoted  me. 

In  addressing  myself  to  your  Excellency  on 
this  occasion,  the  force  of  all  my  obligations 
to  you,  and  of  the  attachment  and  gratitude  I 
bear  you  recurs  to  me.  With  all  the  warmth 
of  my  heart,  I  give  you  thanks  for  your  Ex- 
cellency's profuse  kindness  to  me ;  and  I  send 
you  the  most  earnest  wishes  for  your  welfare, 
which  a  faithful,  affectionate,  and  respectful 
attendant  can  frame. 

I  have  a  mother  and  three  sisters,  to  whom 
the  value  of  my  commission  would  be  an  ob- 
ject, as  the  loss  of  Granada  has  much  affected 
their  income.  It  is  needless  to  be  more 
explicit  on  this  subject;  I  am  persuaded  of 
your  Excellency's  goodness. 

I    receive    the    greatest    attention    from    his 


APPENDIX.  29 

Excellency  General  Washington,  and  from 
every  person  under  whose  charge  I  happen  to 
be  placed. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

With  the  most  respectful  attachment, 
Your  Excellency's  most  obedient 
and  most  humble  servant, 

JOHN  ANDRE, 

Adjutant-General. 
(Addressed) 

His  Excellency  Gen.  Sir  Henry 
Clinton,  K.  B.,  &c,  &c,  &c. 


Copy  of  a  Letter  from  his  Excellency  General  Wash- 
ington^ to  his  Excellency  Sir  Henry  Clinton. 

Head-Quarters,  Sept.  30,  1780. 
SIR, 

IN  answer  to  your  Excellency's  letter  of 
the  26th  instant,  which  I  had  the  honor  to 
receive,  I  am  to  inform  you,  that  Major 
Andre  was  taken  under  such  circumstances  as 
would  have  justified  the  most  summary  pro- 
ceedings against  him.      I   determined  however 


30  ANDRE. 

to  refer  his  case  to  the  examination  and 
decision  of  a  Board  of  General  Officers, 
who  have  reported  on  his  free  and  voluntary 
confession  and  letters,  "  That  he  came  on 
shore  from  the  Vulture  sloop  of  war,  in  the 
night  of  the  twenty-first  of  September  in- 
stant/' &c,  &c,  as  in  the  Report  of  the 
Board  of  General  Officers. 

From  these  proceedings,  it  is  evident  Ma- 
jor Andre  was  employed  in  the  execution  of 
measures  very  foreign  to  the  objects  of  flags 
of  truce,  and  such  as  they  were  never  meant 
to  authorize  or  countenance  in  the  most  dis- 
tant degree ;  and  this  gentleman  confessed 
with  the  greatest  candor,  in  the  course  of 
his  examination,  "  That  it  was  impossible  for 
him  to  suppose  he  came  on  shore,  under  the 
sanction  of  a  flag." 

I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Your  Excellency's  most  obedient 
and  most  humble  servant, 

G.  WASHINGTON. 
(Addressed) 

His  Excellency  Sir  Henry  Clinton. 


APPENDIX.  31 

In  this  letter  Major  Andre's  of  the  29th 
of  September  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  trans- 
mitted. 


New- York,  Sept.  29,  1780. 
SIR, 

PERSUADED  that  you  are  inclined 
rather  to  promote  than  prevent  the  civilities 
and  acts  of  humanity,  which  the  rules  of  war 
permit  between  civilized  nations,  I  find  no 
difficulty  in  representing  to  you,  that  several 
letters  and  messages  sent  from  hence  have 
been  disregarded,  are  unanswered,  and  the 
flags  of  truce  that  carried  them,  detained. 
As  I  have  ever  treated  all  flags  of  truce 
with  civility  and  respect,  I  have  a  right  to 
hope,  that  you  will  order  my  complaint  to 
be  immediately  redressed. 

Major  Andre,  who  visited  an  officer  com- 
manding in  a  district  at  his  own  desire,  and 
acted  in  every  circumstance  agreeable  to  his 
direction,  I  find  is  detained  a  prisoner ;  my 
friendship  for  him  leads  me  to  fear  he  may 
suffer  some  inconvenience  for  want  of  neces- 
saries ;    I  wish   to   be   allowed   to   send   him   a 


32  ANDRE. 

few,  and  shall  take  it  as  a  favor  if  you  will 
be  pleased  to  permit  his  servant  to  deliver 
them.  In  Sir  Henry  Clinton's  absence,  it 
becomes  a  part  of  my  duty  to  make  this 
representation  and  request. 
I  am,  Sir, 

Your  Excellency's  most 

obedient  humble  servant, 
JAMES  ROBERTSON, 

Lieutenant-General. 

His  Excellency  General  Washington. 

Tappan,  Sept.  30,  1780. 

SIR, 

I  HAVE  just  received  your  letter  of  the 
29th.  Any  delay  which  may  have  attended 
your  flags,  has  proceeded  from  accident  and 
the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  occasion, 
not  from  intentional  neglect  or  violation. 
The  letter  that  admitted  of  an  answer,  has 
received  one  as  early  as  it  could  be  given 
with  propriety,  transmitted  by  a  flag  this 
morning.  As  to  messages,  I  am  uninformed 
of  any  that  have  been  sent. 


APPENDIX.  33 

The    necessaries    for    Major   Andre  will    be 
delivered  to   him,  agreeably  to  your   request. 
I  am,   Sir, 

Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

G.  WASHINGTON. 

His  Excellency  Lieut.-Gen.  Robertson, 
New- York. 

New- York,  Sept.  30,  1780. 
SIR, 

FROM  your  Excellency's  letter  of  this 
date,  I  am  persuaded  the  Board  of  General 
Officers,  to  whom  you  referred  the  case  of 
Major  Andre,  cannot  have  been  rightly  in- 
formed of  all  the  circumstances  on  which  a 
judgment  ought  to  be  formed.  I  think  it 
of  the  highest  moment  to  humanity,  that 
your  Excellency  should  be  perfectly  apprized 
of  the  state  of  this  matter,  before  you  pro- 
ceed to  put  that  judgment  in  execution. 

For  this  reason,  I  send  his  Excellency 
Lieutenant-General  Robertson,  and  two  other 
gentlemen,  to  give  you  a  true  state  of  facts, 
and  to  declare  to  you  my  sentiments  and 
resolutions.  They  will  set  out  to-morrow,  as 
early  as   the  wind    and    tide  will    permit,  and 


34  ANDRE. 

wait   near   Dobb's    Ferry   for  your   permission 
and    safe    conduct,    to    meet  your    Excellency, 
or  such  persons  as  you  may  appoint,  to  con- 
verse with  them  on  this  subject. 
I   have  the  honor  to  be, 

Your  Excellency's  most  obedient 
and  most  humble  servant, 

H.  CLINTON. 

P.  S.— The  Hon.  Andrew  Elliot,  Esq., 
Lieutenant-Governor,  and  the  Hon.  William 
Smith,  Chief-Justice  of  this  province,  will 
attend  his  Excellency  Lieutenant-General  Ro- 
bertson. 

H.  C. 

His  Excellency  General  Washington. 

Lieutenant-General  Robertson,  Mr.  Elliot, 
and  Mr.  Smith,  came  up  in  a  flag  vessel  to 
Dobb's  Ferry,  agreeable  to  the  above  let- 
ter. The  two  last  were  not  suffered  to  land. 
General  Robertson  was  permitted  to  come  on 
shore,  and  was  met  by  Major-General  Greene, 
who  verbally  reported  that  General  Robertson 
mentioned  to  him  in  substance  what  is  con- 
tained in  his  letter  of  the  2d  of  October  to 
General  Washington. 


APPENDIX.  35 


New- York,  October  I,  1780. 

SIR, 

I  TAKE  this  opportunity  to  inform 
your  Excellency,  that  I  consider  myself  no 
longer  acting  under  the  commission  of  Con- 
gress :  Their  last  to  me  being  among  my 
papers  at  West  Point,  you,  Sir,  will  make 
such  use  of  it  as  you  think  proper. 

At  the  same  time,  I  beg  leave  to  assure 
your  Excellency,  that  my  attachment  to  the 
true  interest  of  my  country  is  invariable,  and 
that  I  am  actuated  by  the  same  principle  which 
has  ever  been  the  governing  rule  of  my  con- 
duct, in  this  unhappy  contest. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Very  respectfully,  your  Excellency's 
most  obedient  humble  servant, 

B.  ARNOLD. 

His  Excellency  General  Washington. 


36  ANDRE. 

Greyhound  Schooner,  Flag  of  Truce, 
Dobb's  Ferry,  Oct.  2,  1780. 

SIR, 

A  NOTE  I  have  from  General  Greene, 
leaves  me  in  doubt  if  his  memory  had  served 
him  to  relate  to  you,  with  exactness,  the  sub- 
stance of  the  conversation  that  had  passed 
between  him  and  myself,  on  the  subject  of 
Major  Andre.  In  an  affair  of  so  much  con- 
sequence to  my  friend,  to  the  two  armies, 
and  humanity,  I  would  leave  no  possibility 
of  a  misunderstanding,  and  therefore  take  the 
liberty  to  put  in  writing  the  substance  of 
what  I  said  to  General  Greene. 

I  .  offered  to  prove  by  the  evidence  of 
Colonel  Robinson,  and  the  officers  of  the 
Vulture,  that  Major  Andre  went  on  shore  at 
General  Arnold's  desire,  in  a  boat  sent  for 
him  with  a  flag  of  truce ;  that  he  not  only 
came  ashore  with  the  knowledge,  and  under 
the  protection  of  the  general  who  commanded 
in  the  district,  but  that  he  took  no  step, 
while  on  shore,  but  by  the  direction  of  Gen- 
eral Arnold,  as  will  appear  by  the  inclosed 
letter    from   him    to  your  Excellency.      Under 


APPENDIX.  37 

these  circumstances  I  could  not,  and  hoped 
you  would  not,  consider  Major  Andre  as  a 
spy,  for  any  improper  phrase  in  his  letter 
to  you. 

The  facts  he  relates  correspond  with  the 
evidence  I  offer ;  but  he  admits  a  conclusion 
that  does  not  follow.  The  change  of  clothes 
and  name  was  ordered  by  General  Arnold, 
under  whose  direction  he  necessarily  was  while 
within  his  command.  As  General  Greene  and 
I  did  not  agree  in  opinion,  I  wished  that 
disinterested  gentlemen  of  knowledge  of  the 
law  of  war  and  nations,  might  be  asked  their 
opinion  on  the  subject,  and  mentioned  Mon- 
sieur Knyphausen  and  General  Rochambault. 

I  related  that  a  Captain  Robinson  had  been 
delivered  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton  as  a  spy,  and 
undoubtedly  was  such ;  but  that  it  being  sig- 
nified to  him  that  you  were  desirous  that  this 
man  should  be  exchanged,  he  had  ordered 
him  to  be  exchanged. 

I  wished  that  an  intercourse  of  such  civili- 
ties as  the  rules  of  war  admit  of,  might  take 
off  many  of  its  horrors.  I  admitted  that 
Major  Andre  had  a  great  share  of  Sir  Henry 
Clinton's  esteem,  and  that  he  would  be  infin- 


38  ANDRE. 

itely  obliged  by  his  liberation;  and  that  if  he 
was  permitted  to  return  with  me  I  would 
engage  to  have  any  person  you  would  be 
pleased  to  name,  set  at  liberty. 

I  added  that  Sir  Henry  Clinton  had  never 
put  to  death  any  person  for  a  breach  of  the 
rules  of  war,  though  he  had,  and  now  has, 
many  in  his  power.  Under  the  present  cir- 
cumstances, much  good  may  arise  from  hu- 
manity, much  ill  from  the  want  of  it.  If 
that  could  give  any  weight,  I  beg  leave  to 
add,  that  your  favorable  treatment  of  Major 
Andre  will  be  a  favor  I  should  ever  be  intent 
to  return  to  any  you  hold  dear. 

My  memory  does  not  retain  with  the  ex- 
actness I  could  wish,  the  words  of  the  letter 
which  General  Greene  shewed  me  from  Major 
Andre  to  your  Excellency.  For  Sir  Henry 
Clinton's  satisfaction,  I  beg  you  will  order  a 
copy  of  it  to  be  sent  to  me  at  New-York. 
I   have  the  honor  to  be, 

Your  Excellency's  most  obedient 
and  most  humble  servant, 
JAMES  ROBERTSON. 
His  Excellency  General  Washington. 


APPENDIX.  39 

New- York,  October  i,  1780. 
SIR, 

THE  polite  attention  shewn  by  your 
Excellency  and  the  gentlemen  of  your  family 
to  Mrs.  Arnold,  when  in  distress,  demands  my 
grateful  acknowledgment  and  thanks,  which  I 
beg  leave  to  present. 

From  your  Excellency's  letter  to  Sir  Henry 

Clinton,    I    find   a   Board   of  General   Officers 

have    given    it    as    their    opinion,    that    Major 

Andre  comes  under  the  description  of  a  spy. 

My  good   opinion   of  the  candor  and  justice 

of  those  gentlemen   leads   me  to  believe,   that 

if  they  had    been   made   fully  acquainted  with 

every   circumstance    respecting    Major    Andre, 

that  they  would  by  no  means  have  considered 

him    in    the    light    of    a    spy,    or    even    of   a 

prisoner.      In  justice  to  him,   I    think   it   my 

duty  to  declare,  that  he   came  from  on  board 

the   Vulture    at    my   particular    request,    by    a 

flag    sent     on     purpose    for    him     by    Joshua 

Smith,    Esq.,   who    had    permission    to    go    to 

Dobb's   Ferry,  to  carry  letters,  and   for   other 

purposes  not  mentioned,  and  to  return.     This 

was  done  as  a  blind  to  the  spy  boats.      Mr. 


40  ANDRE. 

Smith  at  the  same  time  had  my  private  instruc- 
tions, to  go  on  board  the  Vulture,  and  bring 
on  shore  Colonel  Robinson,  or  Mr.  John  An- 
derson, which  was  the  name  I  had  requested 
Major  Andre  to  assume;  at  the  same  time  I 
desired  Mr.  Smith  to  inform  him  that  he 
should  have  my  protection,  and  a  safe  pass- 
port to  return  in  the  same  boat,  as  soon  as 
our  business  was  completed.  As  several  acci- 
dents intervened  to  prevent  his  being  sent 
on  board,  I  gave  him  my  passport  to  return 
by  land.  Major  Andre  came  on  shore  in  his 
uniform,  (without  disguise,)  which  with  much 
reluctance,  at  my  particular  and  pressing  in- 
stance, he  exchanged  for  another  coat.  I 
furnished  him  with  a  horse  and  saddle,  and 
pointed  out  the  route  by  which  he  was  to 
return.  And  as  commanding  officer  in  the 
department,  I  had  an  undoubted  right  to 
transact  all  these  matters,  which,  if  wrong, 
Major  Andre  ought  by  no  means  to  suffer 
for  them. 

But  if,  after  this  just  and  candid  repre- 
sentation of  Major  Andre's  case,  the  Board 
of  General  Officers  adhere  to  their  former 
opinion,    I    shall   suppose    it    dictated   by  pas- 


APPENDIX.  41 

sion  and  resentment ;  and  if  that  gentleman 
should  suffer  the  severity  of  their  sentence,  I 
shall  think  myself  bound,  by  every  tie  of 
duty  and  honor,  to  retaliate  on  such  unhap- 
py persons  of  your  army  as  may  fall  within 
my  power,  that  the  respect  due  to  flags,  and 
to  the  law  of  nations,  may  be  better  under- 
stood and  observed. 

I  have  further  to  observe,  that  forty  of  the 
principal  inhabitants  of  South  Carolina  have 
justly  forfeited  their  lives,  which  have  hither- 
to been  spared  by  the  clemency  of  his  Ex- 
cellency Sir  Henry  Clinton,  who  cannot  in 
justice  extend  his  mercy  to  them  any  longer, 
if  Major  Andre  suffers;  which,  in  all  proba- 
bility, will  open  a  scene  of  blood  at  which 
humanity  will  revolt. 

Suffer  me  to  intreat  your  Excellency  for 
your  own  and  the  honor  of  humanity  and 
the  love  you  have  of  justice,  that  you  suffer 
not  an  unjust  sentence  to  touch  the  life  of 
Major  Andre. 

But  if  this  warning  should  be  disregarded, 
and  he  suffer,  I  call  heaven  and  earth  to 
witness,    that  your    Excellency   will    be  justly 


42  ANDRE. 

answerable  for  the  torrent  of  blood  that  may 
be  spilt  in  consequence. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  due  respect, 
Your  Excellency's  most  obedient 

and  very  humble  servant, 
B.  ARNOLD. 
His  Excellency  General  Washington. 

Tappan,  October  I,  1780. 

SIR, 

BUOY'D  above  the  terror  of  death,  by 
the  consciousness  of  a  life  devoted  to  honor- 
able pursuits,  and  stained  with  no  action  that 
can  give  me  remorse,  I  trust  that  the  request 
I  make  to  your  Excellency  at  this  serious 
period,  and  which  is  to  soften  my  last  mo- 
ments, will  not  be  rejected. 

Sympathy  towards  a  soldier  will  surely 
induce  your  Excellency  and  a  military  tribu- 
nal, to  adapt  the  mode  of  my  death  to  the 
feelings  of  a  man  of  honor. 

Let  me  hope,  Sir,  that  if  aught  in  my 
character  impresses  you  with  esteem  towards 
me,  if  aught  in  my  misfortunes  marks  me  as 
the  victim  of  policy  and  not  of  resentment,  I 
shall   experience    the    operation   of  these   feel- 


APPENDIX.  43 

ings   in   your   breast,  by  being    informed   that 
I  am  not  to  die  on  a  gibbet. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Your  Excellency's  most  obedient 
and  most  humble  servant, 
JOHN  ANDRE, 
Adj.  Gen.  to  the  British  Army. 
His  Excellency  General  Washington. 


The  time  which  elapsed  between  the  cap- 
ture of  Major  Andre,  which  was  on  the 
morning  of  the  23d  of  September,  and  his 
execution,  which  did  not  take  place  till  twelve 
o'clock  on  the  second  of  October ;  the  mode 
of  trying  him  ;  his  letter  to  Sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton, K.  B.,  on  the  29th  of  September,  in 
which  he  said,  "  I  receive  the  greatest  atten- 
tion from  his  Excellency  General  Washington, 
and  from  every  person  under  whose  charge  I 
happen  to  be  placed;"  not  to  mention  many 
other  acknowledgments  which  he  made  of  the 
good  treatment  he  received ;  must  evince  that 
the  proceedings  against  him  were  not  guided 
by  passion  or  resentment. 


44  ANDRE. 

The  practice  and  usage  of  war  was  against 
his  request,  and  made  the  indulgence  he  so- 
licited, circumstanced  as  he  was,  inadmissible. 

Published  by  order  of  Congress. 

CHARLES  THOMSON. 

Secretary. 


Extract  from  a  Letter  which  appeared  in  the 
Pennsylvania  Gazette ',  dated  October  25,  1780. 
The  author  supposed  to  be  Colonel  Hamilton, 
Aid-de-Camp  to  General  Washington. 

NEVER,  perhaps,  did  a  man  suffer  death 
with  more  justice  or  deserve  it  less.  The 
first  step  he  took  after  his  capture,  was  to 
write  a  letter  to  General  Washington,  con- 
ceived in  terms  of  dignity  without  insolence, 
and  apology  without  meanness.  The  scope 
of  it  was  to  vindicate  himself  from  the  impu- 
tation of  having  assumed  a  mean  character, 
for  treacherous  or  interested  purposes,  that, 
contrary  to  his  intention,  which  was  to  meet 
a  person  for  intelligence  on  neutral  ground, 
he  had  been  betrayed  within  our  posts,  and 
forced    into    the  vile    condition  of  an    enemy 


APPENDIX.  45 

in  disguise,  soliciting  only,  that  to  whatever 
rigor  policy  might  devote  him,  a  decency  of 
treatment  might  be  observed  due  to  a  person 
who,  though  unfortunate,  had  been  guilty 
of  nothing  dishonorable.  His  request  was 
granted  in  its  full  extent ;  for  in  the  whole 
progress  of  the  affair,  he  was  treated  with  the 
most  scrupulous  delicacy.  When  brought  be- 
fore the  Board  of  Officers,  he  met  with  every 
mark  of  indulgence,  and  was  required  to 
answer  no  interrogatory  which  could  embar- 
rass his  feeling. 

On  his  part,  while  he  carefully  concealed 
every  thing  that  might  involve  others,  he 
frankly  confessed  all  the  facts  relative  to  him- 
self; and,  upon  his  confession,  without  the 
trouble  of  examining  a  witness,  the  Board 
made  their  report.  The  members  of  it  were 
not  more  impressed  with  the  candor  and 
modest  firmness,  mixed  with  a  becoming  sen- 
sibility, which  he  displayed,  than  he  was  pen- 
etrated with  their  liberality  and  politeness. 
He  acknowledged  the  generosity  of  the  be- 
haviour towards  him  in  every  respect,  but 
particularly  in  this  in  the  strongest  terms  of 
manly   gratitude.       In    a    conversation    with    a 


46  ANDRE. 

gentleman  who  visited  him  after  his  trial,  he 
said,  he  flattered  himself  he  had  never  been 
illiberal ;  but  if  there  were  any  remains  of 
prejudice  in  his  mind,  his  present  experience 
must  obliterate  them. 

In  one  of  the  visits  I  made  to  him  (and  I 
saw  him  several  times  during  his  confine- 
ment) he  begged  me  to  be  the  bearer  of  a 
request  to  the  General,  for  permission  to  send 
an  open  letter  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton.  "  I 
foresee  my  fate,"  said  he,  "and  though  I  pre- 
tend not  to  play  the  hero,  or  to  be  indifferent 
about  life,  yet  I  am  reconciled  to  whatever 
may  happen,  conscious  that  misfortune,  not 
guilt,  will  have  brought  it  upon  me.  There 
is  only  one  thing  that  disturbs  my  tran- 
quillity. Sir  Henry  Clinton  has  been  too 
good  to  me ;  he  has  been  lavish  of  his  kind- 
ness. I  am  bound  to  him  by  too  many 
obligations,  and  love  him  too  well,  to  bear 
the  thought  that  he  should  reproach  himself, 
or  that  others  should  reproach  him,  on  a 
supposition  that  I  had  conceived  myself 
obliged  by  his  instructions  to  run  the  risk 
I  did.  I  would  not   for  the  world  leave  a 

sting   in   his    mind,   that   should   embitter   his 


APPENDIX.  47 

future  days."  He  could  scarce  finish  the 
sentence,  bursting  into  tears  in  spite  of  his 
efforts  to  suppress  them,  and  with  difficulty 
collected  himself  enough  afterwards  to  add, 
"  I  wish  to  be  permitted  to  assure  him  I  did 
not  act  under  this  impression,  but  submitted 
to  a  necessity  imposed  upon  me,  as  contrary 
to  my  own  inclination  as  to  his  orders."  His 
request  was  readily  complied  with,  and  he 
wrote  the  letter  annexed,  with  which  I  dare 
say  you  will  be  as  much  pleased  as  I  am, 
both  for  the  diction  and  sentiment. 

When  his  sentence  was  announced  to  him, 
he  remarked,  that  since  it  was  his  lot  to  die, 
as  there  was  a  choice  in  the  mode,  which 
would  make  material  difference  in  his  feel- 
ings, he  would  be  happy,  if  it  were  possible 
to  be  indulged  with  a  professional  death. 

He  made  a  second  application  by  letter,  in 
concise  but  persuasive  terms.  It  was  thought 
this  indulgence,  being  incompatible  with  the 
customs  of  war,  could  not  be  granted ;  and 
it  was  therefore  determined  in  both  cases  to 
evade  an  answer,  to  spare  him  the  sensations 
which  a  certain  knowledge  of  the  intended 
mode  would  inflict. 


48  ANDRE. 

When  he  was  led  out  to  the  place  of  execu- 
tion, as  he  went  along  he  bowed  familiarly  to 
all  those  with  whom  he  had  been  acquainted 
in  his  confinement.  A  smile  of  complacency- 
expressed  the  serene  fortitude  of  his  mind. 
Arrived  at  the  fatal  spot,  he  asked  with  emo- 
tion, "  Must  I  then  die  in  this  manner  ?" 
He  was  told  it  had  been  unavoidable.  "  I 
am  reconciled  to  my  fate,"  said  he,  "  but  not 
to  the  mode."  Soon,  however,  recollecting 
himself,  he  added,  "  It  will  be  but  a  momen- 
tary pang,"  and,  springing  upon  the  cart, 
performed  the  last  offices  to  himself,  with  a 
composure  that  excited  the  admiration,  and 
melted  the  hearts  of  the  beholders.  Upon 
being  told  the  final  moment  was  at  hand, 
and  asked  if  he  had  any  thing  to  say,  he 
answered,  "  Nothing  but  to  request  you  will 
witness  to  the  world  that  I  die  like  a  brave 
man."  Among  the  extraordinary  circum- 
stances that  attended  him,  in  the  midst  of  his 
enemies,  he  died  universally  esteemed,  and 
universally  regretted. 

There  was  something  singularly  interesting 
in  the  character  and  fortunes  of  Andre.  To 
an  excellent  understanding,  well   improved  by 


APPENDIX.  49 

education  and  travel,  he  united  a  peculiar 
elegance  of  mind  and  manners,  and  the  ad- 
vantage of  a  pleasing  person.  It  is  said  he 
possessed  a  pretty  taste  for  the  fine  arts,  and 
had  himself  attained  some  proficiency  in  po- 
etry, music,  and  painting.  His  knowledge 
appeared  without  ostentation,  and  embellished 
by  a  diffidence  that  rarely  accompanies  so 
many  talents  and  accomplishments,  which  left 
you  to  suppose  more  than  appeared.  His 
sentiments  were  elevated,  and  inspired  esteem ; 
they  had  a  softness  that  conciliated  affection. 
His  elocution  was  handsome,  his  address  easy, 
polite,  and  insinuating.  By  his  merit  he  had 
acquired  the  confidence  of  his  General,  and 
was  making  a  rapid  progress  in  military  rank 
and  reputation.  But  in  the  heighth  of  his 
career,  flushed  with  new  hopes  from  the  exe- 
cution of  a  project  the  most  beneficial  to  his 
party  that  could  be  devised,  he  is  at  once 
precipitated  from  the  summit  of  prosperity, 
sees  all  the  expectations  of  his  ambition 
blasted  and  himself  ruined. 

The  character  I  have  given  of  him.  is  drawn 
partly  from  what  I  saw  of  him  myself,  and 
partly  from   information.     I  am   aware   that  a 


50  ANDRE. 

man  of  real  merit  is  never  seen  in  so  favor- 
able a  light  as  through  the  medium  of  adver- 
sity. The  clouds  that  surround  him  are  so 
many  shadows  that  set  off  his  good  qualities. 
Misfortune  cuts  down  little  vanities  that,  in 
prosperous  times,  serve  as  so  many  spots  in 
his  virtues,  and  gives  a  tone  of  humility  that 
makes  his  worth  more  amiable.  His  specta- 
tors, who  enjoyed  a  happier  lot,  are  less  prone 
to  detract  from  its  true  envy ;  and  are  more 
disposed  by  compassion  to  give  him  the  credit 
he  deserves,  and  perhaps  even  to  magnify  it. 

I  speak  not  of  Andre's  conduct  in  this 
affair  as  a  philosopher,  but  as  a  man  of  the 
world.  The  authorized  maxims  and  practices 
of  war  are  the  sators  of  human  nature.  They 
countenance  almost  every  species  of  seduction 
as  well  as  violence,  and  the  General  who  can 
make  most  traitors  in  the  army  of  his  adver- 
sary is  frequently  most  applauded.  On  this 
scale  we  acquit  Andre,  while  we  could  not  but 
condemn  him  if  we  were  to  examine  his  con- 
duct by  the  sober  rules  of  philosophy  and 
moral  rectitude. 


Andre's  Letter  to  General  Washington  has 
been  thus  beautifully  paraphrased  in  verse  hy 
N.  P.  Willis: 


"  It  is  not  the  fear  of  death 

That  damps  my  brow — 
It  is  not  for  another  breath 

I  ask  thee  now : 
I  can  die  with  a  lip  unstirred 

And  a  quiet  heart, 
Let  but  this  prayer  be  heard 

Ere  I  depart. 


"  I  can  give  up  my  mothers  look, 

My  sister's  kiss, 
I  can  think  of  love — yet  brook 

A  death  like  this  ! 
I  can  give  up  the  young  fame 

I  burned  to  win, 
All — but  the  spotless  name 

I  glory  in. 


52 


ANDRE 


"  Thine  is  the  power  to  give, 

Thine  to  deny, 
Joy  for  the  hour  I  live, 

Calmness  to  die  : 
By  all  the  brave  should  cherish, 

By  my  dying  breath, 
I  ask  that  I  may  perish 

By  a  soldier's  death." 


ARNOLD. 


WE  will  cast  a  single  glance  on  the  dark 
path  of  Arnold  after  he  had  betrayed  his 
country. 

He  fled  from  his  post,  and  took  refuge 
under  the  flag  he  had  so  long  fought  against. 
Anxious  to  distinguish  himself  in  the  field, 
and  wipe  out  the  deep  stain  upon  his  name, 
he  solicited  and  obtained  a  command  in  Vir- 
ginia ;  but  two  men  were  sent  by  the  British 
General  to  watch  him  ! 

His  Virginia  expedition  failed.  He  pro- 
jected another:  it  was  against  his  birthplace 
— his  early  neighbors  and  associates.  It  was 
to  plunder  the  public  stores  of  New  London, 
feebly  defended  by  Forts  Griswold  and  Trum- 
bull, at  the  mouth  of  the  Thames. 


54  ANDRE. 

Landing  from  Long  Island,  he  sent  a  divi- 
sion of  his  troops  against  Fort  Griswold : 
they  took  it,  and  entered  New  London.  The 
town  was  reduced  to  ashes ;  vessels  were 
burned ;  the  brave  Colonel  Ledyard  was  slain 
with  his  own  sword,  after  he  had  surrendered, 
and  his  companions  butchered  in  cold  blood. 
Now  was  the  hour  for  the  Traitor  to  complete 
his  life  of  infamy  !  While  the  town  where  he 
used  to  play  in  his  boyhood  was  burning,  he 
stood  in  the  belfry  of  a  church  of  God,  and 
looked  exultingly  on  the  conflagration  ! 

This  was  the  last  exploit  of  the  Traitor  in 
his  native  land.  He  could  henceforth  live 
only  in  the  nation  whose  gold  had  paid  him 
for  his  treachery.  He  sailed  for  England. 
He  entered  London  with  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction from  Sir  Henry  Clinton  to  Lord 
George  Germain. 

When  the  petition  for  a  bill  authorizing 
peace  with  America  was  presented  to  the  King 
by  Parliament,  the  Traitor  was  standing  near 
the  throne,  Ci  apparently  in  high  favor  with 
his  Majesty.  Lord  Lauderdale  is  reported  to 
have  declared,  on  returning  to  the  House, 
( that,  however  gracious  might  be  the  language 


APPENDIX.  55 

he  had  heard  from  the  throne,  his  indignation 
could  not  but  be  highly  excited  at  beholding 
his  Majesty  supported  by  a  Traitor.' '  But 
his  lordship  should  have  found  no  fault  with 
this  spectacle.  It  was  a  tableau  befitting  the 
occasion :  where  else  should  the  man  who  had 
betrayed  the  Republic  find  shelter,  if  not 
under  the  sceptre  of  a  King  whose  gold  had 
paid  him  for  his  villain  work  ?  It  was,  in 
fact,  the  only  spot  where  the  wretch  could 
stand  in  security. 

Lord  Surrey,  on  another  occasion,  rose  to 
speak  in  Parliament.  Glancing  his  eye  round 
the  gallery,  he  saw  Arnold ;  pointing  towards 
him  the  finger  of  scorn,  he  exclaimed :  "  I 
will  not  speak  while  that  man  is  in  the 
House." 

Arnold  possessed,  undoubtedly,  animal  cour- 
age :  he  could  stand  before  a  battery,  and  call 
on  his  men  to  advance.  He  was  once  at  a 
levee  in  England  immediately  after  the  close 
of  the  American  war,  when  he  was  introduced 
to  Lord  Balcarras  as  the  American  General, 
Arnold.  "What!  the  Traitor  Arnold?"  ex- 
claimed his  lordship,  turning  on  his  heel  with 
disgust.     A   challenge  was   given   by  the  gen- 


56  ANDRE. 

eral,  and  accepted  by  his  lordship,  who  re- 
ceived Arnold's  fire  and  discharged  his  own 
pistol  in  the  air.  "  Why  do  you  not  return 
the  fire  ?"  exclaimed  the  General.  "  Because 
I  am  not  an  executioner,"  replied  the  noble- 
man, folding  his  arms,  and  looking  disdain- 
fully over  his  shoulder  at  his  antagonist,  as  he 
quietly  walked  away  from  him. 

The  mark  of  Cain  was  on  the  brow  of 
the  Traitor,  and  he  carried  it  to  the  grave. 
Wherever  he  went  men  read  it.  In  England, 
in  St.  John's,  in  Guadaloupe — all  through  his 
restless,  wandering  life,  it  followed  him  still. 
He  lived  to  see  the  young  Republic  he  had 
betrayed  emerge  from  the  gloom  of  her  long 
struggle  into  wealth,  power,  and  splendor; 
and  left  it  advancing  on  to  empire  as  he  went 
darkling  down  to  a  Traitor's  grave ! 

He  died  in  1801,  somewhere  in  the  endless 
wilderness  of  London.  Where  he  was  buried 
we  cannot  tell.  He  died  full  of  crime ;  and 
his  name  is  covered  with  infamy  by  the  ex- 
ecration of  the  nation  he  betrayed,  and  the 
nation  which  paid  him  for  his  traitor's  work. 


APPENDIX.  57 

The  following  Acrostic,  cut  from  a  London  paper 
of  1782,  is  without  exception  one  of  the  most 
severe  comments  ever  passed  upon  the  character 
of  any  man  : 

ACROSTIC    ON    ARNOLD. 

"  Born  for  a  curse  to  nature  and  mankind, 

Earth's  broadest  realms  can't  show  so  black  a  mind  ; 
Night's  sable  veil  your  crimes  can  never  hide, 
Each  one  so  great  would  glut  historic  tide  ; 
Defunct,  your  cursed  memory  will  live 
In  all  the  glare  that  infamy  can  give  ; 
Curses  of  ages  will  attend  your  name  ; 
Traitors  will  glory  in  your  shame. 

"Almighty  vengeance  earnestly  waits  to  roll 
Rivers  of  sulphur  on  your  treacherous  soul  ; 
Nature  looks  down,  with  conscious  error  sad, 
On  such  a  tarnished  blot  as  she  has  made. 
Let  hell  receive  you,  rivetted  in  chains, 
Doomed  to  the  hottest  of  its  flames." 

American. 


EXECUTION    OF    ANDRE. 


Dr.  Thatcher  makes  this  entry  in  his  Journal 
on  the  Bay  of  the  Execution : 


"OCT.  id..  Major  Andre  is  no  more 
among  the  living.  I  have  just  witnessed  his 
exit.  It  was  a  tragical  scene  of  the  deepest 
interest.  *  *  *  *  The  principal  guard-officer, 
who  was  constantly  in  the  room  with  the  pris- 
oner, relates  that  when  the  hour  of  his  execu- 
tion was  announced  to  him  in  the  morning, 
he  received  it  without  emotion,  and,  while  all 
present  were  affected  with  silent  gloom,  he 
retained  a  firm  countenance,  with  calmness 
and  composure  of  mind.  Observing  his  ser- 
vant enter  the  room  in  tears,  he  exclaimed : 
c  Leave  me  until  you  can  show  yourself  more 


APPENDIX.  59 

manly !'       His    breakfast    being   sent    to    him 
from  the  table  of  General  Washington,  which 
had  been  done  every  day  of  his  confinement, 
he  partook  of  it  as  usual,  and,  having  shaved 
and  dressed  himself,  he  placed  his  hat  on  the 
table,  and  cheerfully  said  to  the  guard-officers, 
1  I   am   ready  at  any   moment,    gentlemen,    to 
wait  on  you/     The  fatal  hour  having  arrived, 
a   large   detachment    of    troops    was    paraded, 
and  an  immense  concourse   of  people   assem- 
bled ;  almost  all  our  general  and  field  officers, 
except  his  Excellency  and  his  staff,  were  pres- 
ent on  horseback;   melancholy  and  gloom  per- 
vaded all  ranks,  and  the  scene  was  affectingly 
awful.      I    was    so    near,    during    the    solemn 
march   to   the  fatal  spot,   as  to   observe  every 
movement,    and   participate   in   every   emotion 
which  the  melancholy  scene  was  calculated   to 
produce.     Major  Andre  walked  from  the  stone 
house  in  which  he  had  been  confined  between 
two  of  our  subaltern  officers  arm-in-arm ;   the 
eyes  of  the  immense  multitude  were  fixed  on 
him,    who,    rising    superior    to    the    fears    of 
death,  appeared  as  if  conscious   of  the   digni- 
fied deportment  which  he  displayed.     He  be- 
trayed   no   want    of  fortitude,    but    retained   a 


60  ANDRE. 

complacent  smile  on  his  countenance,  and 
politely  bowed  to  several  gentlemen  whom  he 
knew,  which  was  respectfully  returned.  It 
was  his  earnest  desire  to  be  shot,  as  being 
the  mode  of  death  most  conformable  to  the 
feelings  of  a  military  man,  and  he  had  in- 
dulged the  hope  that  his  request  would  be 
granted.  At  the  moment,  therefore,  when, 
suddenly,  he  came  in  view  of  the  gallows,  he 
involuntarily  started  backward,  and  made  a 
pause.  cWhy  this  emotion,  Sir?'  said  an 
officer  by  his  side.  Instantly  recovering  his 
composure,  he  said:  CI  am  reconciled  to  my 
death,  but  I  detest  the  mode  !'  While  wait- 
ing, and  standing  near  the  gallows,  I  observed 
some  degree  of  trepidation :  placing  his  foot 
on  a  stone,  and  rolling  it  over,  and  choking 
in  his  throat,  as  if  attempting  to  swallow. 
So  soon,  however,  as  he  perceived  things  were 
in  readiness,  he  stepped  quickly  into  the 
wagon,  and  at  this  moment  he  appeared  to 
shrink,  but  instantly  elevating  his  head  with 
firmness  he  said,  c  It  will  be  but  a  momentary 
pang;'  and  taking  from  his  pocket  two  white 
handkerchiefs,  the  provost-marshal  with  one 
loosely  pinioned  his  arms,  and  with  the  other 


APPENDIX.  61 

the  victim,  after  taking  off  his  hat  and  stock, 
bandaged  his  own  eyes  with  perfect  firmness, 
which  melted  the  hearts  and  moistened  the 
cheeks  not  only  of  his  servant  but  of  the 
throng  of  spectators.  The  rope  being  ap- 
pended to  the  gallows,  he  slipped  the  noose 
over  his  head,  and  adjusted  it  to  his  neck, 
without  the  assistance  of  the  awkward  execu- 
tioner. Colonel  Scammell  now  informed  him 
that  he  had  an  opportunity  to  speak,  if  he 
desired  it :  he  raised  the  handkerchief  from 
his  eyes,  and  said :  c  I  pray  you  to  bear  me 
witness  that  I  meet  my  fate  like  a  brave  man.' 
The  wagon  being  now  removed  from  under 
him,  he  was  suspended  and  instantly  expired : 
it  proved  indeed  but  a  momentary  pang." 
{Military  Journal  during  the  Revolutionary  War, 
by  James  Thatcher,  M.D.,  Surgeon  in  the 
American  Army^  274.) 


62  ANDRE. 


Major  Benjamin  Russell  writes: 

u  IT  happened  to  be  my  turn,  as  a  soldier 
of  the  Massachusetts  line,  to  be  on  duty  on 
the  occasion,  and  to  be  posted  in  a  situation 
where  I  could  distinctly  observe  every  part 
of  the  deportment  of  the  gallant  sufferer,  and 
hear  every  word  he  uttered.  He  was  dressed 
in  the  rich  uniform  of  a  British  staff  officer, 
with  the  exception,  of  course,  of  sash,  gorget, 
sword,  and  spurs.  *  *  *  *  The  lofty  gibbet 
was  surrounded  by  an  exterior  guard  of  nearly 
five  hundred  infantry,  with  an  inner  guard  of 
a  captain's  command.  None  were  admitted 
within  the  square  but  the  officers  on  duty  and 
the  assistants  of  the  provost-marshal.  The 
spectators  outside  the  square  were  very  numer- 
ous. Proceeding  to  the  place  of  execution 
under  the  above  guard,  Andre  was  accom- 
panied by  two  of  the  officers  of  the  inner 
guard,  which  he  had  at  first,  as  I  learned, 
thought  had  been  detailed  as  his  executioners. 
He  had  previously  requested  of  General 
Washington  the  favour  of  dying  the  death 
of  a  soldier.     This   mode   of  death   the   high 


APPENDIX.  63 

sense  of  duty  of  the  Commander-in-chief 
could  not  grant,  and  his  delicacy  forbade  him 
to  announce  his  determination  in  an  answer. 
The  officers  of  the  American  army  perform- 
ing duty  on  horseback,  with  General  Greene 
at  their  head,  were  formed  in  line,  on  the 
road.  To  those  whom  Major  Andre  knew, 
particularly  those  who  made  part  of  the 
Board  of  General  Officers  who  pronounced 
on  his  fate,  he  paid  the  salute  of  the  hat, 
and  received  the  adieus  of  all,  with  ease  and 
complacency.  The  Commander-in-chief  and 
staff  were  not  present  at  the  execution ;  and 
this  mark  of  decorum,  I  was  told,  was  feel- 
ingly appreciated  by  the  sufferer.  When  the 
procession  moved  on  the  main  road  the  gal- 
lows were  not  visible,  but  when  it  wheeled  at 
an  angle,  the  place  of  execution  was  seen 
directly  in  front.  On  viewing  it  the  sufferer 
made  a  halt,  and  exhibited  emotion.  To  an 
inquiry  made  by  the  guard,  Major  Andre 
gave  the  answer :  '  I  am  reconciled  to  my 
death,  but  I  detest  the  mode  of  it.'  The 
Captain  rejoined:  c  It  is  unavoidable,  Sir/ 
Arrived  at  the  scaffold,  Andre,  after  a  short 
conversation   with   his    servant,   (who    arrested 


64  ANDRE. 

much  attention  by  the  vehemence  of  his  grief 
and  loud  lamentation,)  ascended  with  gaiety 
the  baggage-wagon.  The  general  order  of 
execution  was  then  read  by,  I  believe,  Colonel 
Scammell.  The  reading  was  very  impressive ; 
and  at  the  conclusion  Major  Andre  uncovered, 
bowed  to  the  General  and  other  officers,  and 
said,  with  dignity  and  firmness,  'All  I  request 
of  you,  gentlemen,  is  that  you  will  bear  wit- 
ness to  the  world  that  I  die  like  a  brave 
man/  He  added  nothing  more  aloud,  but 
while  the  preparations  for  immediate  execu- 
tion were  being  made,  he  said,  in  an  under- 
tone, c  It  will  be  but  a  momentary  pang/ 
Thus  died  Major  John  Andre,  Adjutant-Gen- 
eral to  the  British  army.  The  sympathy  of 
the  American  officers  was  universally  expressed, 
and  the  Father  of  our  Country,  in  announcing 
his  death  to  Congress,  pronounced  that  he 
met  his  fate  like  a  brave  man."  (New  England 
Magazine,  vi.  363?) 


APPENDIX.  65 


Major  Tallmadge  writes,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend : 

"  POOR  Andre,  who  has  been  under  my 
charge  almost  ever  since  he  was  taken,  has 
yesterday  had  his  trial,  and  though  his  sen- 
tence is  not  known,  a  disgraceful  death  is  no 
doubt  allotted  to  him.  By  heavens  !  Colonel 
Webb,  I  never  saw  a  man  whose  fate  I  fore- 
saw whom  I  so  sincerely  pitied.  He  is  a 
young  fellow  of  the  greatest  accomplishments, 
and  was  the  prime  minister  of  Sir  Harry  on 
all  occasions.  He  has  unbosomed  his  heart 
to  me  so  fully,  and  indeed  let  me  know  almost 
every  motive  of  his  actions  since  he  came  out 
on  his  late  mission,  and  he  has  endeared  me 
to  him  exceedingly.  Unfortunate  man  !  He 
will  undoubtedly  suffer  death  to-morrow,  and 
though  he  knows  his  fate,  seems  to  be  as 
cheerful  as  though  he  were  going  to  an  assem- 
bly. I  am  sure  he  will  go  to  the  gallows  less 
fearful  for  his  fate,  and  with  less  concern  than 
I  shall  behold  the  tragedy.  Had  he  been 
tried  by  a  court  of  ladies,  he  is  so  genteel, 
handsome,  polite  a  young  gentleman,  that  I 
am  confident  they  would  have  acquitted  him. 


66  ANDRE. 

But   enough  of  Andre,  who,   though   he  dies 
lamented,  falls  justly/' 


The  same  officer,  in   other  communications 
upon  the  subject,  says : 

cc  From  the  moment  that  Andre  made  the 
disclosure  of  his  name  and  true  character,  in 
his  letter  to  the  Commander-in-chief,  which 
he  handed  to  me  as  soon  as  he  had  written  it, 
down  to  the  moment  of  his  execution,  I  was 
almost  constantly  with  him.  I  walked  with 
him  to  the  place  of  execution,  and  parted  with 
him  under  the  gallows,  overwhelmed  with  grief 
that  so  gallant  an  officer  and  so  accomplished 
a  gentleman  should  come  to  such  an  ignomin- 
ious end.  The  ease  and  affability  of  his 
manners,  polished  by  the  refinement  of  good 
society,  and  a  finished  education,  made  him  a 
most  delightful  companion.  It  often  drew 
tears  from  my  eyes  to  find  him  so  agreeable 
in  conversation  on  different  subjects,  when  I 
reflected  on  his  future  fate,  and  that,  too,  as 
I  believed,  so  near  at  hand." 

"  When  he  came  within  sight  of  the  gibbet, 
he  appeared  to  be  startled,  and  inquired  with 


APPENDIX 


67 


some  emotion  whether  he  was  not  to  be  shot. 
Being  informed  that  the  mode  first  appointed 
for  his  death  could  not  consistently  be  altered, 
he  exclaimed,  'How  hard  is  my  fate!'  but 
immediately  added,  cIt  will  soon  be  over!'  I 
then  shook  hands  with  him  under  the  gallows 
and  retired."  {Spark's  Arnold,  255 ;  Irving  s 
Washington,  iv.  149,  157.) 


NAMES 

OF    THE 

SUBSCRIBERS    TO    THE   FOLIO    COPIES 

OF 


ANDREANA 


No.     i. 
ii. 

»s- 

18. 
19. 

20. 
11. 

22. 
23. 
24. 

25- 


JOHN    CAMPBELL, 
C.  B.  RICHARDSON,  4 

T.  H.  MORRELL,  2 

FRANCIS  S.  HOFFMAN, 
RICHARD  W.  ROCHE, 
JOHN    SABIN, 
FRANCIS  B.  HAYES, 
W.  ELLIOTT  WOODWARD, 
HENRY  A.  SMITH,  ■ 
WILLIAM  A.  WHITEMAN, 
WILLIAM  W.  LONG, 
HORACE  W.  SMITH, 


10  copies.      Philadelphia. 


New  York. 


Roxbury,  Mass. 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Philadelphia. 


NAMES 

OF    THE 

SUBSCRIBERS    TO    THE    QUARTO    COPIES 

OF 

ANDREANA. 


No.     i.  JOHN    CAMPBELL,  10  copies.  Philadelphia. 

II.  C.B.RICHARDSON,  6        "  New  York. 

17.  T.  H.  MORRELL,  5       «  <« 

22.  C.  A.  MILLER,  2       "  " 

24.  J.  W;  BOUTON,  3       «  « 

27.  W.  ELLIOTT  WOODWARD,  Roxbury,  Mass. 

28.  FRANCIS  S.  HOFFMAN,  New  York. 

29.  WINTHROP  SARGENT,  N.  Y.  Per  J.  Pennington  &  Son. 

30.  S.  M.  L.  BARLOW,  "  « 

31.  CHARLES  J.  BUSHNELL,  «  « 

32.  FREEMAN  M.  JOSSELYN,  Boston, 


SUBSCRIBERS. 


No.  33.  GEORGE  CLASBACK, 

34.  G.  H.  MATHEWS, 

35.  S.  S.  PURPLE,  M.D., 

36.  CHARLES  CONGDON, 

37.  A.  W.  GRISWOLD, 

38.  JOHN  F.;McCOY, 

J       39.  E.  FRENCH,  4  copies. 

43.  JOHN  P.  DESFORGES, 

44.  A.  C.  KLINE, 

45.  SIMON  GRATZ, 

46.  JOHN  A.  McALLASTER, 

47.  WILLIAM  B.  MANN, 

48.  JOHN  SABIN, 

49.  ELIAS  DEXTER, 

50.  NATHAN  S.  PETERSON, 


York,    Per  G 

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Philadelphia. 

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New  York. 


Philadelphia. 


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